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spited him. The protest was an instinctive rejection of the idea of Alinor married to either of those coarse and brutal men. William was no practitioner of the higher courtesies toward women. He might, for a fault, strike his wife, but he would not beat her for amusement nor torture her for the fun of hearing her scream. Besides, there was considerable doubt that either of the creatures was even gently born. In fact, Henry of Cornhill was known to spring from a London merchant family. No one knew what Fulk's antecedents were, but it was rumored that they were even lower than Henry's. |
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"You think I am very quick to cast off the old and take on the new," Alinor went on, "but I must marry before the king thinks to lay his commands upon me. To deny him outright would be treason. Do you doubt he would take my lands and probably cast me into prison, too, for such an act? How long do you think Adam would survive?" |
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"Not long," William snarled. "Arthur did not live long. And as for youyes, I see." |
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"Nor do not think that Ian is snatching at Simon's lands or, for that matter, lusting after Simon's wife. Ian is marrying for love, I admit, but for love of Simon, not for love of Alinor." |
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"I never thought" William began, his face crimson. Then the color began to fade. "That is all the truth, Alinor. I never thought at all. When we had your letter, such a fury of pain seized meas if I had heard newly again ofof Simon's death. And IanIan is so different from Simon, so young, and with a face like a black angel." |
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Alinor could not help laughing. She was not resentful of William's assumption that she had lewd motives. It was, of course, the common opinion of women, but Alinor had seen further than that. Simon was 30 years older than she, but William was also considerably senior to his wifenearly 20 years. It was plain unadulterated jealousy that had driven him to be unjust to Ian. He |
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